A Second Chance At Love
by Catherine Willmon 2013
Summary: Full summary inside. R&R! On Hiatus!
1. Vicious aftermath

**Title: A Second Chance at Love**

**Characters/Parings: CM Punk/AJ Lee; Daniel Bryan; Wade Barrett/Layla; John Cena/Eve Torres; Zack Ryder/Kaitlyn; Kane, more later on.**

**Rating: Strong R for language and sexual content**

**Disclaimer: Don't own them. Can't sue me. You know the deal.**

**Settings/Classifications: Romance, Violence, Angst, Alternate Universe **

**Spoilers/Notes: My take on the CM Punk/AJ Lee saga. Oh, and I'm ignoring the PG format the WWE's doing. No, I'm going hardcore.**

**Summary: AJ Lee thought she would never be able to find love again after being dumped on national television by Daniel Bryan, but when WWE champion CM Punk comes into her life and shows her the true meaning of love and happiness, AJ realizes that she does have a second chance at being in love. But, Daniel decides that she doesn't deserve to have anything and keeps bothering her in and out of the ring. Will the beautiful Jersey native finally be able to heal her broken heart or will she forever be broken and unlovable? **

**Author's note: So, I've been enthralled with the CM Punk/AJ Lee paring based on what I've been reading on the site, so I thought why don't I jump on that bandwagon and put my two cents in concerning those two? And, with **_**Tug of War **_**coming to an end, I decided to work on a brand new story and this just happened to pop in my mind. I had to share it with you guys. Oh, and keep in mind, Daniel Bryan is a total douche bag. He's gonna be portrayed that way in my story with a much more sinister twist.**

**Enjoy and happy reading!**

**Lots of love, hugs and kisses from your resident writer and friend, Nina!**

**X**

_Friday Night Smackdown!_

_King of Prussia, Pennsylvania_

_April 6__th__, 2012_

The aftermath of Wrestlemania 28 was still fresh in the minds of WWE superstars and divas. Many lives were changed after that historic night that they couldn't stop talking about it.

One of the biggest headlines at Wrestlemania 28 just happened to be the first match of the night; involving now former World Heavyweight champion Bryan Danielson a.k.a Daniel Bryan losing his title to Stephen Farrley a.k.a Sheamus in just 18 seconds. And, to think, that it took Daniel longer than 18 seconds to engage in a passionate kiss with his girlfriend April Jeanette Lee a.k.a. AJ Lee and completely lose his focus that it ended up biting him in the ass big time.

After the quick match and title change, Daniel dragged AJ backstage and literally threw her in their locker room; where he spent the next hour and a half ripping her into a new one. He blamed her for his title loss and started tearing their locker room apart, throwing everything around, breaking chairs and even destroying the dress she had worn for him when they attended the Hall of Fame ceremony the night before.

To make matters worse, he even started physically assaulting her; slapping her around with his hands, pulling her hair, punching and kicking her fragile body and throwing her around the locker room like she was a ragged doll.

Yeah, he was that damn angry.

When he finally got finished, he stormed out of the locker room in a fit rage; leaving her bloodied and broken on the floor and their locker room completely ransacked. AJ didn't move a muscle; she really couldn't move because Daniel did a real number on her and he left her basically having to fend for herself.

Throughout the attack, she kept begging and pleading with him to stop hurting her, but he didn't let up. Each painful blow he inflicted on her body was his way of saying that she was completely at fault for costing him the title. Furthermore, his anger escalated within the last few months; from purposely putting her in harm's way, to her repeatedly getting injured and even worse then getting hit is the belittlements she's been receiving at the hands of Bryan; telling her that she'd never amount to anything and that she should be lucky that he's been willing to put up with her for so damn long.

Getting the World Heavyweight title has pretty much changed him. He went from being a sweet caring boyfriend to a power-hungry, egotistical, sadistic monster in a short matter of time. It was something she wasn't prepared for and certainly wasn't prepared for the wrath she had to endure.

And she wasn't prepared for what's about to happen tonight in front 18,000 people at the All State arena for Smackdown!

Daniel gripped her arm roughly and started dragging her towards the ring. From the angry look on his face, AJ knew that her boyfriend was still pissed off about losing his title at the grandest stage of them all just five days ago. She had no idea of what he has in store for tonight; other than it's not gonna be pretty.

He climbed into the ring, pulling her arm roughly and forcing her to trail close behind him. He motioned the ring announcer to hand him over the microphone, for which Justin Roberts did and headed back towards his seat next to the timekeeper. Everyone in the arena booed Daniel loudly and emphatically as he raised his microphone up to his lips.

"Wrestlemania 28 proved to be the most humiliating night of my life! I lost the goddamn title to Sheamus and I have only one person to blame for it! And that person happens to be you, AJ!" he screamed, turning his direction towards her and gripping her arm even tighter. She could've sworn that a bruise was forming there and she could see it.

"You're nothing but a worthless bitch, AJ! All you had to do was give me what I wanted and we would've been fine, but no, your kiss cost me my title! I lost everything because of you! You'll never amount to nothing! You wouldn't be where you are now if it weren't for me! You helped me get the title, but now, I don't need you anymore! I don't want you anymore! Hell, nobody wants your stupid ass! You're just nothing but a good for nothing little slut!" Daniel screamed right in her face.

AJ couldn't help but to break down and cry right in front of her seemingly now ex-boyfriend. She couldn't believe what she was hearing from him. Daniel Bryan, the first serious boyfriend she ever had, the first man she ever truly loved, just broke up with her on national televison. And, to add insult to injury, he was belittling her with every single blow to her now broken heart. Will the nightmare ever end?

"And, you know something else? Why would I be wasting my time with a pretentious, stupid little girl like you when I could have a bevy of beauties knocking at my door? You're not even cute! Thank God I never gave a damn about you!" Daniel continued to rant as he finally released her from his grip and started circling her around in the ring. AJ kept her head low and continued to cry as the crowd continued to boo at Bryan for verbally abusing her. It was like he was ripping her heart out of her chest with every little verbal blow he was lashing out at her, threw it on the ground and stomped on it without a care in the world.

"And, now, with you becoming a fucking liability to me, there's only one thing left for me to do: I'm dumping your gullible ass! I don't want you anymore! Get the fuck out of my ring! WE'RE OVER!" he boomed, distancing himself away from her like she was a disease.

And that proved to be the final nail in the coffin. AJ sunk down on her knees in the middle of the ring and sobbed openly; wrapping her arms around herself and shaking her head in disbelief. Her heart has been broken by the one man who she thought loved her; only to find out that he really never gave a damn about her. Daniel just used and abused her to get to the top and boy did he get to the top.

And now that he had a taste of fame and even gold for a time, he was done with her. Hell, if she were to be totally honest with herself, he never even loved her. She was just a pawn to his sick little game.

And that hurts even worse.

"Are you, dumb, stupid or retarded, bitch? I said GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY RING!" Daniel snapped as he stormed his way over to her. He grabbed her by her long brown hair and threw her out of the ring, causing her to land on her face. More tears streamed down her face as her ex-boyfriend continued to taunt her in the ring and the crowd continuing to boo him loudly.

"One more thing, AJ. I'm gonna make sure you don't have nothing when I get through with your ass. I'm gonna make sure that nobody will want you because you ain't worth jack shit! Even though I broke up with your stupid ass, I'll never leave you alone! You're gonna always be a fucking loser!" Daniel snapped before he turned away and stood in the middle of the ring, raising his arms up as if he was victorious.

Slowly, AJ got up and watched her ex-boyfriend soaking in the enormous boos from the crowd, as if he doesn't even care. With tears still streaming down her beautiful young face, she turned on her heel and ran up the ramp and ran backstage; her face burying in her trembling hands.

Ignoring the blatant looks she's getting from her co-workers, AJ decided to keep running away until she was pretty much out of sight. She slid down on the floor behind the crates and continued to sob for a good five more minutes. She couldn't believe this was happening to her. Daniel not only broke up with her, but he did so by humiliating her in public and even vowed to make sure she doesn't have anything when he's through with her.

What did she do so wrong that caused him to be so cruel and uncaring towards her? She had pretty much sacrificed everything for him and this is how he repays her, by breaking up with her in such a cruel manner?

She'll probably never know.

Wiping her tear stained face in with her shaking fingers, she got up and straightened herself out. Hell, she's already been humiliated once; she might as well face the music and move on with her life. But how she's gonna go on if Daniel's gonna keep messing with her?

As she started to head towards the women's locker room, she noticed Daniel came out through the curtain to find a bottle of water. He quickly looked up and saw a still solemn AJ heading towards the locker room; attempting to hold her head high. Abandoning his plans of getting a bottle of water, a sinister smile formed on his face when he decided to follow her and taunt her some more.

Who knew that taunting his ex-girlfriend would be so much fun?

Just as she was about to push the door open and go inside, she was immediately blocked by Daniel, who grabbed her arm and yanked her towards him. She looked at him and realized that he wasn't done messing with her. He was serious when he said that he's gonna make sure that she doesn't have anything when he gets through with her.

"Let me go, Daniel. Haven't you done enough already?" AJ asked, trying to yank her arm away from him, but he gripped it tightly.

"No. I told you that I'm never gonna leave you alone, even though we're no longer together. I'm gonna make sure nobody will want your stupid, gullible ass," he snarled at her. AJ was scared because she has never seen him be this angry and cruel at her.

"Please, just let me go and leave me alone. You got what you wanted when you dumped me and then threw me out of the ring," she pleaded, still trying to pull away from him, but he gripped her arm even tighter, glaring at her.

"Bitch, I told you that I'm gonna make you suffer. You ruined my life when I lost the title at Wrestlemania and now I'm returning the favor by ruining your life!" he growled, squeezing her arm much tighter. AJ was trying so hard to pull away from him, but a large bruise was forming on her arm because Daniel wouldn't let go of her.

"You're hurting me, Daniel. Let me go, please," she pleaded, more tears forming in her hazel eyes.

"You want me to let you go? Fine, I'll let you go," he growled as he finally released her from his super strong grip. She was about to push the door open and go into the locker room when Daniel, out of nowhere, gripped her by her long brown hair by tangling his fingers through the soft chocolate locks and rammed her face against the concrete wall. AJ screamed out in pain because the pain was excruciating and Daniel wasn't about to let up anytime soon. Every single blow to her face was an indication of how really pissed off her ex-boyfriend really was.

AJ was reeling in pain because her face kept meeting the concrete wall and she kept screaming out in pain thanks to him bashing her face against the hard object. Before long, she could feel her nose breaking and her skull being fractured. She lost count on how many times her face got brutally bashed against the wall. Furthermore, blood was oozing out between her nostrils and her face was becoming a bloody mess. So much so that blood even got in her eyes; temporarily blinding her.

She couldn't believe Daniel would stoop this low just to hurt her. And, for what? Because he lost the title

When he finally got finished bashing her face against the wall, he pulled her away from the blood soaked concrete and pushed her hard against another concrete wall. She ended up collapsing on the floor; sobbing hysterically and still hurting from the pain he unleashed on her. Daniel stood over here; grinning sadistically and looking at her in disgust. He couldn't believe he wasted his time with this miserable piece of trash.

"Look at you, AJ. You're nothing more than a crumbled piece of trash that I'm so glad I got rid of. But, know this, I'm just getting started. I told you that I'm never gonna leave you alone and this is just the tip of the iceberg. So long for now, you stupid little cunt. I'll be seeing you again," he sneered before he turned on his heel and walked away, not before he started stomping and kicking on her battered body.

Daniel finally disappeared from sight; leaving her battered and bloodied body laying on the floor. Hot tears mingled with the smell of blood seeping on her skin and she could barely see anything thanks to her hazel eyes still being blinded from the blood and the tears seeping into her orbs.

Still reeling in pain, AJ attempted to crawl towards the nearest trainer's room. However, she was becoming dizzy because she was developing a massive headache from the hard pounding against the wall and the fact that she didn't know where she was going. Furthermore, she was on the verge of throwing up the metallic taste of blood ended up in her mouth.

The New Jersey native ended up passing out in the middle of the hallway, her body was still sore from head to toe.

Meanwhile, WWE champion Phil Brooks a.k.a. CM Punk was heading towards catering to get something to eat, his champion ship slung over his shoulders. He, too, was fresh off an important victory at Wrestlemania because he defeated the best in the world and huge rock star Chris Jericho in a hard fought match to retain his title. There's no doubt in the Chicago native's mind, however, that their personal feud is far from over.

He turned around the corner and continued to head towards catering when he stumbled on a female laying on the floor. At first, Punk shook his head because he thought she was another drunken ring rat who got thrown out of the locker room after another sexual encounter with a superstar. Sexual escapades was a regular occurrence in the WWE locker room and the male superstars had the tendency to brag about the women they banged.

Honestly, it made Punk sick to his stomach hearing such degrading things.

However, when he got closer, he realized that this wasn't a drunken ring rat. He leaned down to see who she was and was completely horrified to find out who she was.

It was AJ Lee. And she was a bloody and broken mess.

Frantically, he managed to scoop her up in his strong arms and carried her towards the trainers' room. He was determined to get her some help, no matter what it takes.

And when he finds the person(s) responsible for who hurt this beautiful diva, there will be hell to pay!

**Coming up in the next chapter: AJ wakes up in the hospital and learns that CM Punk brought her there. Daniel continues to torment and taunt AJ when she comes back to work, leaving Punk to discover that it was Bryan who hurt AJ. Will AJ conjure up the courage to stand up for herself in the long run? Stay tuned!**

**Please review!**


	2. Straight edge to the rescue

**The reviews for the first chapter has been AMAZING! Thank you so much for embracing this story instantly. Believe me, I have big plans for CM Punk and AJ Lee and don't worry about Goat face Daniel Bryan; I have big plans for him as well. He's gonna get his in the long run, trust me. Oh, and another thing, I'm gonna portray AJ in a much more realistic light, so it's gonna be a while before she can experience happiness again. Like I said before, this paring of Punk/AJ is new to me.**

**One more thing, I stopped watching wrestling a little over a year ago, but everyone's talking about the marriage proposal Daniel Bryan sprung upon AJ on RAW and now there's gonna be a wedding on the 1000****th**** episode of RAW on Monday. Thank God for Fan Fiction, right?**

**Enjoy and happy reading!**

**Lots of love, hugs and kisses from your resident writer and friend, Nina!**

**X**

_King of Prussia Medical Center_

_King of Prussia, Pennsylvania_

_April 7__th__, 2012_

AJ had no idea where she was when she first began to wake up from her slumber. However, when she finally opened her eyes, she realized that she was in the hospital, laying in a hospital bed, still sore from the brutal assault she endured the night before. She looked around to see if anyone came to visit her, but she found herself alone and vulnerable. Fresh tears started forming in her hazel eyes because she still remembers the events that transpired the night before. It was something she'd never forget.

Daniel viciously assaulted her by bashing her head against the concrete wall, then stomping on her body like she was trash. He stood over here; saying that what he had done was just the beginning of his bubbling rage. He vowed to make her life miserable and make sure that she's left with absolutely nothing when it's all said and done. And it's all because he lost the title in 18 seconds at Wrestlemania and blame her for his downfall.

AJ still couldn't understand why he would be so cruel to her. After all, she's the one who's been put in harm's way on several different occasions and she's the one who's been on the receiving end of Bryan's physical and emotional wrath time and time again. The New Jersey native never even had a chance to defend herself; to stand up and say no more. Daniel had completely taken everything away from her.

And, now, she's reduced to being a shamble of her former self. And that hurts so much.

She don't think she'll ever recover from being so heartbroken, used and abused like this.

AJ attempted to sit up on the bed, but her back was still aching badly, so she just stayed where she was and hoped the pain would just leave her body. Just then, the door opened and a seasoned female doctor walked in with a warm smile on her face. She went right over on the right side of the bed and laid her hand gently on the patient's shoulder.

"I see we've woken up, Ms. Mendez. How are you feeling?" she asked softly, her smile never leaving her face.

AJ just shrugged her shoulders, wincing in pain because both of her shoulders were still sore. "I've seen better days. I'm fine. I have to be fine."

"Well, you're gonna be good as new in no time. You got some bruises all over your body and you've also suffered a minor concussion. I recommend that you take it easy for a little while so that you can heal. I understand you travel a lot," doctor Hannah George suggested.

"Yeah, I do. I'm planning on going home anyway. I need a break; physically and emotionally," AJ replied softly, allowing more tears to fall from her eyes.

"Oh, honey, don't worry. You're a tough woman. Just focus on getting better and getting back out there. I'm sure, in time, someone will come along and appreciate the woman you are," Hannah said before she turned on her heel and began to walk out of the room.

"By the way, how did I end up here in the first place?" AJ called out to the doctor.

"I almost forgot, a nice young man brought you here. He found you laying on the floor at a sports arena. He thought you were dead so he brought you here. He identified himself as a Phil Brooks. Despite the tattoos he has, he's a very nice young man. I think he's good for you, Ms. Mendez. Just continue getting some rest, okay? I'll be back later to check on you," Hannah said before she walked out of the room, leaving AJ something to think about.

_Punk brought me here? I can't believe it. Why didn't he stay with me, or at least come to check on me? Did I do something wrong that caused him not to stay with me? _A inner voice in her head asked as she attempted to get comfortable on the bed. The combination of whatever they got her doped up with was making her drowsy and she was on the verge of falling asleep again. Still thinking about why Punk didn't stay with her after he brought her to the hospital still bothered her to no end.

Feeling her eyes closing, AJ finally fell into a somber sleep; thinking about how she's gonna be able to face Punk when she gets back to work.

Or if she's gonna be able to get back to work at all.

X

_Monday Night RAW_

_Providence, Rhode Island_

_April 30__th__, 2012_

Dragging her bags behind her, AJ was strolling through the hallway and attempting to hold her head up high as she headed towards the women's locker room. Being at home for the last few weeks without having to get up early in the morning has been a blessing to her, but AJ was anxious to get back to work and get back to living her life as a newly single woman.

However, being at home also proved to be a curse because she's been hounded with persisting phone calls and degrading text messages from Daniel day in and day out since she left the hospital. It gotten so bad that she had to change her home phone number, blocked him from her list of cell phone contacts and even blocked him from her e-mail listing just so he would stop harassing her.

But even that didn't stop him from messing with her. AJ watched RAW last week and saw Daniel openly bashing her; calling her every single name in the book and continually vowing to make sure she doesn't have anything when he gets through with her. He also vowed to make sure that no man would ever want a pretentious little girl like her ever again.

Shaking her head at the thought of Daniel trying to ruin her life, she continued to walk towards the women's locker room; her bags trailing close behind when all of a sudden, Daniel stood in front of her; blocking her path and even grabbing her somewhat bruised arms roughly, causing her to drop her bags on the floor. AJ looked at him and quickly realized that he was still angry about losing his title.

"You should've stayed home, little bitch," he growled, squeezing her arms much more tightly.

"Leave me alone and let me go, Daniel. You're hurting me," she demanded, wincing because the pain was proving to be unbearable once again.

"I told you that I won't stop until you're reduced to nothing. So far, I'm doing a good job, but I won't stop. Like I said before, you should've stayed home and wallowed in pity, stupid whore. And why did you block me from your phone?" he snapped, pushing her against the wall with force. Feeling her back started to shoot up in pain again, AJ started to scream, but he clamped his hand over her mouth to silence her.

"Wouldn't want to attract any unwanted attention, now would we?" he sneered at her, then he removed his hand away from her face.

"Look, you got what you wanted when you dumped me on national tv and then attacked me after the show. Why can't you just leave me alone, Daniel?" she pleaded, tears forming in her hazel eyes.

He snickered before he raised his hand up and slapped her hard across her tear stained face. With his anger boiling in his veins, he slapped her again, but she started screaming out in pain. Before long, he completely lost his mind and tackled her down to the ground.

Just then, CM Punk came from around the corner, heading to the ring for sparring practice with another superstar when he saw something that made him sick to his stomach. He moved closer and was horrified to find Daniel Bryan tackling AJ Lee down on the ground and proceeding to beat the holy hell out of her.

Punk was furious. Any man who would beat up on a defenseless woman and actually be proud of it should be shot, killed and maimed. Knowing that Daniel Bryan would put his hands on a woman he dumped on national television made Brooks sick to his stomach. With fury boiling in his veins, the Chicago native stormed over to where the attack was taking place and with all of his strength, pulled Daniel off of a screaming AJ and threw him inside of a nearby janitor's closet. Punk then went inside, closed the door, locked it, then with Daniel having nowhere to go, Punk proceeded to beat the smaller man within an inch of his life.

AJ slowly got up off the ground and looked around to see if she could find some help. As much as she appreciates Punk for stepping in and putting a serious hurting on her ex-boyfriend, the last thing anyone needs is a murder charge under their belts; much less a potential lawsuit looming in the background.

She could hear Daniel letting out a blood curling scream in the janitor's closet; begging Punk to stop hurting him, pleading to let him go, but the Chicago native wouldn't let up. He kept beating the much smaller man until Daniel was rendered unconscious. Punk was heard breathing heavily for a moment before the door opened and he stepped out; his hands covered in blood.

AJ quickly ran over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She let out a sob when he wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her tightly; as if he never wanted to let her go. They stood in front of the janitor's closet for a moment, holding each other close and allowing the comfortable silence to consume them.

When they finally pulled apart, Punk looked into AJ's hazel eyes and saw a women who was heartbroken and felt unlovable. Although he doesn't know here very well, he's gonna do whatever it takes to not only heal her broken heart, but also protect her within every ounce of his being.

"Are you okay, April?" he asked softly, pulling her away from the janitor's closet because he didn't wanna her see the battered and bruised form of Daniel Bryan.

"No, but I will be. What about you? How are your hands?" she asked, looking down at his bloody taped hands.

"My hands will be fine. I'm more worried about you. I couldn't stand by and let that goat face jackass hurt you. I'm sorry, but I was raised to never hit a woman, no matter what," he told her as they walked, hand in hand, towards the trainer's room.

"Thank you for coming to my rescue. I didn't think anyone would even care," AJ admitted as she lowered her head in shame. Punk, not wanting to see her so down, leaned over and planted a innocent kiss on her cheek, making her blush slightly.

"Don't worry about that, April. I care. I'm sorry for not staying with you at the hospital, but I wasn't family and I didn't think you'd want me to stay with you," Phil admitted, looking a little bit shy.

AJ was deeply touched. Punk wanted to stay with her but he thought she didn't want him there. Didn't he know that she had spent the last 12 hours thinking about him and how she should thank him for bringing to the hospital? Furthermore, she also thought about how she's gonna be able to move on with her life without Daniel hassling her 24/7.

And how she's gonna be able to tell Punk that Daniel viciously assaulted her a few weeks before, resulted Punk to take her to the hospital.

"Punk, before we go in, how did you bring me to the hospital?" AJ asked when they finally stood in front of the trainer's room.

"I saw you laying on the floor as I was heading towards catering to get something to eat. At first, I thought you were another ring rat who was thrown out of the locker room after another sexual encounter with a superstar. However, when I got closer and realized that it was you lying in a pool of your own blood, I picked you up and carried you towards the trainer's room. But, Chris wasn't there, so I took you to my rental car and drove you straight to the nearby hospital. I called Vince and told him what happened and he completely understood what I had to do. I wanted to make sure you got some help, that's all," Punk explained, looking at her with intensity.

"Thank you so much for helping me out, Punk. Now, let's go get you cleaned up," AJ said, smiling slightly as she took his bruised hand and led him inside's the trainer's room, just as Daniel regained consciousness and stumbled out of the janitor's closet; still battered, bloodied and bruised from getting his ass kicked from that straight edge jackass.

He was furious. Daniel Bryan was furious because Punk stuck his nose in his business where it doesn't belong. AJ has to pay for everything she had done. She cost him the championship and pretty much being a lousy girlfriend. He was doing fine making her life a living hell but Punk just had to step in and beat his ass. Phil Brooks wrote a check that his stupid ass can't even cash.

Stumbling towards his locker room, Daniel silently vowed that AJ would pay for having someone come to her rescue. He's gonna make sure that she has nothing in her pathetic life and anyone who stands in his way will feel his wrath.

And Daniel knows actually what to do next.

X

_Holiday Inn_

_Providence, Rhode Island_

_April 30__th__, 2012_

After the super show in Providence, many of the superstars and divas would go to a local night club to unwind and have a good time. CM Punk and AJ Lee weren't the clubbing types. Instead, they went to a local 24 hour diner, got something to eat and spent the next several hours engaging in pleasant conversation, sharing laughs and getting to know each other better.

After a few hours spending a few hours at the diner, the pair went back to the hotel for some much needed sleep. Punk escorted AJ back to her hotel room because he didn't want anything to happen to her. Although Daniel hasn't been seen or heard since the incident at the arena earlier, Phil didn't wanna take any chances.

Before long, the duo ended up standing in front of her hotel room. AJ looked at Punk with a huge smile on her face. Despite the turmoil she's going through concerning her ex, she found herself becoming happy again. Being in the presence of another male companion has slowly starting to heal her broken heart.

"Phil, thanks again for keeping me company tonight," AJ said, smiling as she reached over and grabbed his hand. He squeezed it lightly and returned her smile with one of his own.

"It's no problem, April. You're an amazing girl and I like spending time with you. I hope we can do it again," Phil said, still squeezing her hand and smiling brightly.

"Well, we'll see each other a lot since we're both on the same brand. I can use a new traveling buddy," she laughed lightly.

"You know something? That's not a bad idea. I'll be back first thing in the morning and we'll go to breakfast together. How about that?" he asked, winking at her.

She was blushing deeply at his suggested. She had a sneaky suspicion that Punk was flirting with her, but she decided not to let it dwindle further in her mind because she knew that it's gonna be a very long time before she'll allow herself to fall in love again; much less give her heart to another man. And with Daniel still lurking in the shadows, doing everything he can to make her life a living hell, AJ still has a long way to go before she can experience true happiness again.

"Sounds like a good idea. I'll see you in the morning," she said as she leaned over and kissed his cheek lightly. Then she pulled out her key card and unlocked the door to her room, for which she stepped inside.

"Good night, April," Phil said as he started walking down the hallway.

"Good night, Punk," she replied as she closed the door. She leaned against it for a moment, letting out a deep breath and smiling at tonight's events.

CM Punk brought a smile back to her face. She was happy again.

For the time being, that is.

**Coming up in the next chapter: Punk and AJ's friendship continues to grow, which angers Daniel to no end. AJ gets a championship opportunity, which Daniel ends up ruining by interfering in her match, but ends up paying the price for messing with a diva. Will AJ finally be able to conjure to courage to stand up for herself and more importantly, reveal her feelings to Punk? Stay tuned!**

**I know a lot of AJ/Punk shippers are up in arms because there's gonna be a wedding between AJ and Daniel Bryan on the 1000****th**** episode of RAW on Monday. A lot of you hope that Punk will pull the crap out of his ass and crash the wedding, but we don't really know what's gonna happen. Like I said before, thank God for Fan Fiction, right?**

**Please review!**


	3. Stolen opportunity

**I'm back with a brand new chapter and things are about to get real exciting. For one, AJ and Punk's friendship will continue to grow, despite Daniel Bryan's constant attacks on his former girlfriend. Oh, and did I mention that in this chapter, the goat face will get what's coming to him after he interferes in AJ's match? That's gonna happen and so much more. Don't worry, eventually, AJ and Punk will be together romantically, but it's gonna take some time to develop them romantically.**

**One more thing, there were so much mixed reviews concerning the 1000****th**** episode of RAW on Monday. I didn't watch it, but from what I read about later online, AJ's the new general manager? Punk turned heel in the main event? Stephanie McMahon made an appearance and beat the crap out of Paul Heyman? Lita came back and beat the crap out of Heath Slater (which, by the way, she looked amazing)! Trish Stratus giving Triple H yoga advice and we even saw the return of DX (without Chyna)! There were so many twists and turns concerning that episode that so many of you are still talking about it.**

**I guess the one good thing that came out of it was that AJ and goat face didn't say 'I do'. Now, with AJ running both RAW and SmackDown, Daniel's in a whole lotta trouble!**

**Enjoy and happy reading!**

**Lots of love, hugs and kisses from your resident writer and friend, Nina!**

**X**

_Monday Night RAW_

_Raleigh, North Carolina_

_May 7__th__, 2012_

AJ and Punk arrived at the arena for tonight's show; sharing laughs and just enjoying being around each other. For AJ, having Punk as a traveling buddy proved be a blessing. He was so easy to talk to and so much fun to be around. It was something she needed because when she was actually with Daniel, she was pretty much alienated from her closest friends and family.

Speaking of Daniel, she hasn't seen or heard from him since Punk saved her from her ex's near brutal assault. AJ didn't know whether to consider this a good thing or not because since he dumped her on national television and then viciously assaulted her backstage, he's been lurking in the background; probably planning the perfect moment to strike again.

The one good thing that came out of this mess is that she never got another scathing e-mail, degrading text message or even constant phone calls again. AJ was smart enough to change her home and cell phone number, changed her e-mail account and even blocked her ex from text messaging. She decided that she wasn't gonna waste any time hoping for him to come to his senses and take her back. She was a young, beautiful, vibrant woman and any man would be lucky to be with her.

April Jeanette Mendez was taking her life back into her hands. And she couldn't be prouder.

Punk noticed his new female friend looked more vibrant and outgoing; a far cry from where he found her laying in the pool of her own blood a month ago. He found that spending time with has been a blessing. And they have so many things in common. For one, both of them came from broken homes, dealt with difficult parents and felt like they didn't belong to society. However, both of them also worked very hard to achieve their dreams with very little support from their friends and family and they both are now living their dreams in the WWE.

As they continued to make their way down the hallway and headed towards their respective locker rooms, AJ and Punk failed to notice Daniel coming out of his locker room, still looking battered and bruised from when Punk beat his ass a little over a week ago. He looked over his shoulder and was angered to see AJ and Punk walking together; sharing laughs and talking amongst themselves. It made him sick to his stomach.

AJ was supposed to be crying. She was supposed to be inconsolable, weak, vulnerable and despondent so that he could continue getting revenge against her. The pretentious bitch is supposed to pay for costing him the title and ruining his chances of getting it back and he's been doing a good job of hurting her before Punk stuck his nose where it didn't belong. And, now, Daniel's paying the price for doing what he did.

But, the former World Heavyweight champion's not done yet. He overheard a conversation between Vince McMahon and the creative writing time, headed by Vince's daughter Stephanie, talking about AJ was getting a divas' title opportunity against her good friend Layla El tonight on RAW. An evil smirk on his face because he knew exactly what he's gonna do to his ex-girlfriend.

Since she cost him the title at Wrestlemania, Daniel's gonna return the favor tonight.

He's gonna make sure that AJ Lee won't be divas' champion before the night is over with.

X

_Monday Night RAW_

_Divas Title Match_

_Raleigh, North Carolina_

_May 7__th__, 2012_

Layla El were already in the ring, waiting for her good friend to come out so they could get this match underway. So far, this has been an interesting night. Everyone was still talking about Daniel and AJ's public breakup and AJ's vicious assault backstage. To further complicate matters, AJ never revealed who attacked her backstage, but does acknowledge that Punk did find her laying in the pool of her own blood and took her to the hospital.

Also, online wrestling sites and entertainment news shows like Entertainment Tonight and the Insider reported that AJ may have a new man in her life; giving everyone in the locker room an indication that AJ and Punk were now dating.

AJ came out through the curtains and skipped down the ramp, slapping hands with fans and smiling brightly. She slid right into the ring and posed for her fans; silently letting them know that she's okay and that she's gonna persevere no matter what.

The bell rang and before they started to lock up, the two women embraced in the middle of the ring. Then, they finally locked up and the match got underway.

Meanwhile, without anyone knowing, Daniel came out from under the ring and let out a deep breath. He's been waiting for a while for this opportunity and now with the divas' title match underway, he seized the chance by hiding underneath the ring and made sure he wasn't seen or heard. Frankly, he wasn't scheduled for a match himself tonight, so he thought this is the perfect opportunity to strike.

_Time for the pretentious bitch to go down, _he thought with a evil smile forming on his goat face. When he looked up and saw AJ climbing on the turnbuckle, he made his move.

Meanwhile, AJ was giving Layla everything she got; even surprising the British diva with perfectly executed dropkicks, counter holds and even performed a very good standing moonsault. Before long, she took Layla down with a dropkick to her face, then the Jersey native decided to bring this match to an end by heading towards the turnbuckle and climbing on top of it.

Just when she was about to jump off it and perform a leg drop on Layla, Daniel came out of nowhere and grabbed her ankle. AJ looked down and saw her ex-boyfriend grabbing her ankle and gripping it tightly.

"Let go of my ankle, Daniel!" she screamed at him. He smiled and shook his head, gripping her ankle even tighter. She struggled to break free from his hold, but he wasn't letting up. Furthermore, he climbed up on the apron and managed to grab her wrist while still gripping her ankle tightly.

"Let me go!" she screamed again. He shook his head and kept his hold on her. Then, without warning, he yanked her off the turnbuckle; causing her to fall right into his arms. With his anger still bubbling from Wrestlemania, he slammed her right onto the steel steps, causing the crowd to boo loudly at him.

"You got what you deserved, AJ! You cost me the title, now I returned the favor!" Daniel screamed at her lifeless body. Then, he grabbed her by her long brunette hair and threw her back into the ring, just as Layla was finally getting up from getting kicked in the face. She looked over her shoulder and found AJ completely knocked out in the middle of the ring. The British diva quickly took the opportunity by pining her.

1-2-3, the match was over. Layla retained her title.

As she was climbing out of the ring, AJ was still knocked out in the middle of the ring. She slowly started to wake up when Daniel climbed into the ring, smiling brightly at the damage he caused. He made his way over to her and kneeled down in front of her, still smiling because he got her where he wants her. He reached over and traced her face with his finger, then he grabbed her by her long brown hair and yanked her up on her feet.

"Say goodbye, you stupid little bitch," he sneered at her before he set her up for his finisher. Suddenly, the crowd went into an uproar when CM Punk ran down the ramp and headed towards the ring. Immediately, Daniel threw AJ down on the mat and proceeded to break camp. However, he didn't get far because Punk caught up to him quickly and took him down with a hard kick to the back of his head.

Then, Punk pounced on Daniel and proceeded to beat the holy hell out of him; just like he did when he caught the goat face attacking AJ backstage and ended up pushing him into the janitor's closet. Only this time, the WWE universe were witnessing it first hand.

Daniel tried to fight back but Punk was too angry to even let up. He kept punching and kicking his adversary with brute force. Frankly, the Chicago native was sick and tired of seeing AJ being treated badly because the goat face lost the WHC in 18 seconds and became a whiny little bitch.

Security, referees and several WWE superstars ran down to the ring and pulled Punk off of Daniel, but it was no use. Punk's anger reached new heights when he pulled Daniel out of the ring and continued to beat the crap out of him when the goat face attempted to run up the ramp to create some distance. Meanwhile, EMTs and trainers attended to AJ, who was still knocked out from being slammed against the steel steps by her ex.

Needless to say, this has been a crazy night.

X

_Monday Night RAW_

_Trainer's room_

_Raleigh, North Carolina_

_May 7__th__, 2012_

When AJ finally woke up, she had a killer headache and her back was sore. She slowly sat up on the examiner's table and realized that she was brought into the trainer's room after Daniel slammed her onto the steel steps hard; costing her an opportunity to capture the divas' championship. Tears started falling from her eyes because she couldn't believe her ex would do this to her. Is he still that angry because he lost the title last month and she had to be the brunt of his anger time and time again?

She'll probably never know.

The door opened and AJ was surprised to find Punk walking inside; his hands taped up because they were bloody again. Which meant that he beat the crap out of Daniel once again and left him crying like a little bitch. He looked at the brunette beauty and his face softened because she's been through hell again at the hands of her ex.

"Are you okay, April?" he asked as he went over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder gently.

"No, but I will be. I can't believe Daniel did this to me. I don't know how much more I can take what he's putting me through," she replied, breaking down.

"If you're wondering what happened to my hands, I ran down the ring after he was about to perform his finisher on you. I beat the crap out him again and he tried to escape, but I pushed him into the janitor's closet and damn neared killed him. I'm sick and tired of him hurting you, so I had to do something," he explained, squeezing her shoulder gently.

AJ sighed deeply. "I don't want you to get in trouble over this. I understand you wanna protect me, but you don't have to kill Daniel because of me."

"I know. I don't think he's gonna be taking this lying down. He's not gonna stop until he pretty much runs you out of this company and reduces you to nothing. April, you have to tell Vince about this," Punk said, looking at her with concern.

She turned her head to look at him with a frightened look on her face. "I don't know what to do anymore. Every time I turn around, he's there; making my life a living hell. He alienated me from my friends, my family. I was nothing with him. And when he dumped me on national tv and then attacked me afterwards..."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Goat face attacked you last month? So, that's why I found you laying in the pool of your own blood," he replied, looking angry.

"Yeah, he ambushed me when I was going into the women's locker room. He grabbed my arm roughly, leaving a bruise there. I told him to let me go, which he did, but when I was about to go inside, he gripped my long brown hair and bashed me against the concrete wall. He did this several more times before he pushed me against another wall, causing me to fall on the floor. Just before he was about to leave, he stomped on my body with his boot and left me there. I attempted to crawl to the trainer's room but the pain was unbearable and I collapsed in the middle of the hallway. I guess that's where you found me," she explained, laying her head against his chest and choked out a strangled cry.

"That bastard! He don't know when to quit, do he?" he growled, his face contorting in anger more and more.

"So what if I go to Vince and report him? Daniel can lie his way out through anything and, plus, there was no cameras around to capture him kicking my ass. And even if I reported him, he'll find a way to beat the system and make my life a living hell even more," AJ sniffed, still sobbing loudly.

Punk had a feeling his female friend was right. Ever since Daniel was rehired in 2010, he has done a really good job being in Vince's good graces. The last thing the goat face needs is a scandal that would cost him his career once again. Now he understands why AJ's so scared of her ex.

"Still, tell him what's been going on between you and goat face. Tell him that I was able to stop him from hurting you even worse," he pleaded with her.

The Jersey native shook her head in shame. "Daniel will make me out to look like a liar out there. Furthermore, I'll just give him more ammo to hurt me some more. And I don't want you going to jail over me."

He sighed and wrapped his arms around her. She sobbed on his chest and realized that she felt safe whenever he's around. Truth be told, she doesn't feel safe anymore. Daniel was making her life a living hell, he blamed her for his title loss and he's been taking every opportunity to attack her. Now, the last two times she's been attacked, Punk has been able to save her, but he can't be there for her all the time and everyone around her knows this.

Speaking of Daniel, he limped his was down the hallway; heading towards his locker room when he noticed the trainer's door was cracked open. He took a peek inside and was outraged to find AJ sobbing in Punk's arms. Tonight was a complete disaster. He was supposed to cost AJ the chance to win the divas' title, take her out in the middle of the ring and then leave. But, once again, Punk stuck his nose into his business where it didn't belong. Furthermore, Daniel was on the receiving end of Punk's wrath once again by beating him to a bloody pulp and then pushing him into the janitor's closet backstage and damn neared killed him.

Daniel realized in order to really hurt AJ, he's gonna have to do something he should've done before he dumped her on national television.

He was gonna find a way to make AJ go back to him. He decided that he wants her back, not because he loves her, but because he needs her help to reclaim the World Heavyweight title.

If she doesn't take him, the consequences could turn out deadly.

**Coming up in the next chapter: Daniel intercepts AJ as she heads towards catering and demands that she goes back to him, which Punk overhearing their conversation. Will AJ finally have the courage to stand up to her ex or will she crumble down and take him back? And will her friendship with Punk be affected by her decision? Stay tuned!**

**Please read my other story **_**Tug of War.**_

**Please review!**


	4. Another setback

**Thank you again for your kind reviews and strong support for Punk/AJ. Although, on RAW this past Monday, that was not the case between the two of them. On the flip side, though, I knew Daniel Bryan was gonna be in a lot of trouble and AJ proved it by having him evaluated after his loss to Sheamus. I thought it was pretty funny, though, seeing Daniel in a bunch about Charlie 'Winning' Sheen. **

**I think AJ, for her first week as general manager of RAW, she's doing a good job. Now there's gonna be a triple threat match for the WWE championship at SummerSlam and all I can say this, as much as I love Punk and/or Cena, it's gonna be tough to see who's gonna win.**

**Enjoy and happy reading!**

**Lots of love, hugs and kisses from your resident writer and friend, Nina!**

**X**

_Monday Night RAW_

_Quickens Loan Arena_

_Cleveland, Ohio_

_May 14__th__, 2012_

AJ was pretty much exhausted from Daniel tormenting her, physically and emotionally.

After costing her the chance of winning the divas' title last week on RAW by slamming her against the steel steps, she was pretty much exhausted. All she wanted to do is curl up into a ball somewhere and cry for hours on end. She didn't know how much more anguish she could take. Even thought Punk has been doing a great job protecting her, the bottle line is, he can't protect her all the time. For as long as she's been with Daniel, he can come up with a way to get her alone and inflict some serious punishment on her.

The Jersey native stepped out of the women's locker room to get a bottle of water. She was minding her own business when once again, Daniel came out of nowhere and intercepted her in the middle of the hallway by blocking her path. He grabbed her arm roughly and yanked her towards him; anger evident on his still bruised face. He still wasn't over getting his ass handed to him by Punk last week and he's gonna make sure she knows about it.

"Let me go, Daniel. I have nothing to say to you," she told him, her voice contorting in anger.

"First of all, shut up. Second of all, I have some unfinished business with you," he growled in her face.

"Look, you got what you wanted when you slammed me into the steel steps and cost me the chance of winning the divas' title last week. So, just let me go and leave me alone," she told him as she tried to yank her arm away from him. Daniel didn't budge and gripped her arm even tighter.

"Stop struggling and listen to me. I realize that dumping you on national television was a mistake. I'm willing to forgive you for being stupid if you do one thing for me," he said, leering at her.

"And what's that?" AJ snorted, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

"Take me back, AJ. Take me back as your boyfriend," he demanded, still leering at her.

She was shocked. Truly shocked. The goat face wants her to take him back. She knew immediately why he wanted her to take him back; so that he can use her as bait again so that he could get the title back. A single tear fell from her eyes because this was confusing as hell.

Speaking of confusing, Punk was heading towards catering himself to get something to eat when he saw AJ being manhandled once again by Daniel. The Chicago native was just about sick and tired of seeing AJ being humiliated by her ex-boyfriend. Ever since she finally told him that Daniel attacked her on RAW last month, he's been more protective of her as ususal.

Even more infuriating, Punk overheard Daniel demanding that AJ take him back. He wanted to go over there and kick the living shit of him for even suggesting that she take him back after everything he had done to her. Punk hoped and prayed that AJ would finally grow a backbone and reject him like he rejected her.

"So let me get this straight: you want me to take you back? After everything you had done to me? And let's not talk about within the last month, Daniel. We're talking about the stuff you had done to me before Wrestlemania," AJ said, her face contorting in anger and confusion.

"That's right, AJ. So, what do you say? Will you take me back?" Daniel asked, making no room for argument.

"Why would I wanna take you back?" she asked, shaking her head.

He gripped her arm even tighter and yanked her towards him even harder. "Because you don't wanna have anything bad to happen to you again. Just remember, I may have dumped your naive ass, but I can still wreck your life."

She finally yanked her arm away from her ex and stepped back away from him. "You've already wrecked my life, Daniel. Why would I wanna take you back after everything you've done to me? I do believe in forgiveness and redemption, but you haven't done a single thing to deserve my forgiveness. I'm not going to take you back because you're gonna end up hurting me over and over again. I'm sorry, but I'm moving on."

"I don't think so, AJ. I told you before that I can still wreck your life and I will continue to do so if you don't do what I say!" he said, his voice raising a little.

"You know what? I should've known that you're gonna keep acting like this. Because you can't stand the fact that I'm finally standing up for myself and that pissed you off. Well, I've got news for you, Daniel: I'm done with you. I'm done with you for good. When you dumped me on national tv, I had an epiphany: I can do better than you. But, no, you're still bitching and moaning at the fact that you lost the title in 18 seconds and I was the blame. Well, newsflash, jackass; I didn't cause you to lose the title! You did! You brought this on yourself! So, I'm gonna tell you this for the last time: leave me alone! You got what you wanted when you kept attacking me and now I'm not gonna take it anymore! If you keep messing with me, I'll have no problem reporting you to Vince about everything!" AJ snapped, her face now twisting in anger.

Daniel couldn't believe what he was witnessing. His ex-girlfriend, who he was demanding that she take him back was now standing up for herself and telling him to fuck off. That pissed him off because he was doing a damn good job reducing her to being nothing. He had planned on running her out of the company and even drive her insane to the point that she'll end up committing suicide.

That angered him even more. He didn't know what to do now.

"Have you lost your fucking mind, bitch?! Do you know who you're talking to?!" he screamed, getting back right into her face.

AJ placed her hands on his chest and pushed him away. "Don't stand any closer to me, Daniel. I'm not gonna allow you to hurt me anymore. I don't want you back."

"On the contrary, little girl, you're gonna take me back. Unless you want me to show the WWE universe what kind of a slut you are," he hissed, getting back right into her face and grabbing her arm again.

"W-what are you talking about?" she stammered, looking at him with fear dancing in her eyes.

"Let's just say I have footage of you whoring yourself around to several other WWE superstars, some of them who happened to be my closest friends. Just try me, April; I can ruin your life by putting the footage online for the whole world to see. You'll be famous alright," he snickered, gripping her arm even further.

She snatched her arm away from him again and stepped back. "Like I said before, my life is already ruined because of you, Daniel. I'm not taking you back and that's final. And you know something? So what if you put the so called footage of me having sex with several superstars on the internet? You and I both know that I was drugged and was left in a vulnerable position, thanks to you. Now, leave me alone before I go to Vince and tell him everything. And, he'll believe me because I can back up my claims!"

She turned on heel and began to walk away from him, but his anger got the best of him and he ended up kicking her right in the back of her head. Down she went like a ton of bricks and she felt her face being smacked against the concrete ground. Daniel ended up standing over her; looming down at her with a wicked smile on his face.

"I warned you, AJ. I warned you about disobeying me. Don't cross me again. I'll see you later," he said as he began to walk away. However, he didn't get far because he ended up getting kicked in the back of his head by none other than CM Punk. An angry scowl loomed on the Chicago native's face as he stood over the man who made AJ's life a living hell.

"And I warned you, goat face, to stay away from AJ or else you will see me again. Keep crossing me and see if you don't end up in the river," Punk warned, kicking Daniel in his ribs to prove his point. The goat face howled out in pain as Punk kept kicking him in his ribs.

"Please, stop," Daniel pleaded, holding on to his ribs and feel pain ebbing through out his body.

"Oh, what's the matter? Not so tough when you're on the receiving end of it, aren't you? Well, no, I'm not gonna stop. I told you the next time you messed with AJ, I may even kill you. And I'll make sure no one will miss you!" Punk screamed as he kicked Daniel right into his face, knocking him out cold.

Punk turned on his heel and walked away, heading towards AJ, who was slowly getting up after she got kicked in the back of her head. She looked up and saw Punk coming to her aid; scooping her up in his strong arms.

"Are you okay, April?" he asked sincerely.

She shook her head, trying to shake the cobwebs out of her eyes. "No, I'm not. When will this all end?"

"I still suggest that you go and talk to Vince about this, baby. Daniel's not gonna stop until he get what he wants," he told her as he began carrying her away from the scene and away from prying eyes.

"And I'll just keep giving him ammo to hurt me more. I know you overheard our conversation. I can't report Daniel because like I said before, he can lie his way out of anything. He'll make me out to be a liar because he does have proof that I slept with several of his friends; even though I was drugged," AJ said, trying to blink back tears.

"April, if Daniel drugged you, that meant that you were raped; not only by goat face but also his friends. You could've went to the police about this," Punk said as they stood outside the women's locker room. He finally sat her down and grabbed her hands gently.

"And I would've end up dead. Daniel threatened to kill me if I said anything about what happened. Plus, he can always destroy the footage and say that I'm crazy. He'll do anything to ruin my life and he's done a damn good job of it, too," she broke down and sobbed hysterically. Punk wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly; realizing that she could be right.

He didn't know what else to do. As long as that goat face jerk was still breathing, AJ will never be free of him. He was making her life a living hell and humiliating her without even breaking a sweat. And, no matter how many times Punk kicked his ass, Daniel just keeps escalating and escalating. Even if the son of a bitch is dead, he'll find a way to haunt AJ.

"So, what are you gonna do now?" Punk asked when she finally pulled away from him. She wiped her tear stained face with her hands and sniffed softly.

"I don't know what to do. Every time I turn around, Daniel's there; ready to attack again. I just wish he'd leave me alone," she said softly.

To her shock, he leaned over and kissed her forehead gently. "Well, as long as I'm here, I can promise you that goat face won't be messing with you for much longer."

"Don't make any promises you can't keep, Phil. I don't want you getting hurt. You don't need to worry about my problems," AJ said sadly.

Punk reached over and tilted her head up with his finger. "Believe it or not, I do worry about you. Let me take care of you, okay? I'll give you some time to think about it."

He turned on his heel and walked away, leaving her alone to think about his suggestion. Truth be told, she was getting sick and tired of being afraid all the time. She was sick and tired of Daniel messing with her every chance he could get. And it felt so good to know that Punk was going out of his way to protect her; to show her that they were still some good men out there in the world.

All she wanted was to be loved again; to be cherished and respected.

Sighing deeply, AJ pushed the door opened the locker room and walked inside. She found her best friend Kaitlyn gearing up for her match and looking excited.

"Kait, it's just a match, don't worry," AJ said, smiling at the young brunette.

"I know it's just match, but this could be my chance to be in the title picture. Speaking of which, how are you doing, girl? I'm still pissed that your stupid ex-boyfriend cost you the chance and even had the balls to attack you in public," Kaitlyn said, her face fuming.

AJ sighed deeply. "Believe me, I'm still pissed as well. But, what can you do about it? I just gather my bearings and move on."

"I'm sorry for what he did to you, though. I can't believe he dumped you on national tv. I should've went down there and kicked his goat face ass for good measure," Kaitlyn snarled.

AJ went over to her best friend and hugged her tightly; which effectively calmed the other woman down because she was getting fired up.

"Hon, don't worry about it. Needless to say, I'm not gonna let Daniel hurt me anymore. I'm moving on with my life," AJ assured her best friend with a smile on her face.

"Okay, okay. I get your meaning. Well, I'm gotta get ready for my match tonight. How about you and I have a little sleep over after the show? We can watch scary movies, eat lots and lots of junk food and give each other make overs," Kaitlyn suggested as she grabbed her towel off the bench.

"Sounds good. You and I haven't been hanging out as much lately. It feels good to know that I still have my bff," AJ said with a grin on her beautiful face.

"Great! Listen, I've gotta go, but I'll catch up with you later," Kaitlyn said as she skipped out of the locker room with a smile on her face. AJ couldn't help but laugh at her best friend's carefree attitude. It was something the Jersey native needed to have in her life again; to be able to laugh, love and be free of any stressors and obligations her ex put her through.

Running her fingers through her long brunette hair, she went over to her assigned locker to grab her gym bag. She didn't even hear the door being opened and someone walking in; however, as soon as she turned around to grab her water bottle, her face was contorting in shock and fear.

"Hello, AJ. We still have some unfinished business to take care of," Daniel said, his bruised face contorting in anger and pure rage.

_Please, God. I don't know how much more I can take getting hurt by this man. I need a sign; a sign to help me get the hell out of dodge unscathed! _AJ thought with fear lurking in her veins. However, as her vengeful ex began advancing towards her with evil intentions, her prayers appeared to go unanswered.

However, AJ will finally have the courage to fight back and stand tall.

After all, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

**Coming up in the next chapter: Daniel attacks AJ again, but this time, she manages to fight back and escape from his latest vicious rampage. AJ, Kaitlyn and Layla have their sleep over, in which AJ reveals everything to her two best friends. And, AJ and Punk take the next steps to strengthening their friendship. Will their romantic feelings for one another also come to light? Stay tuned!**

**And please make sure to read **_**Tug of War. **_

**Please review!**


	5. Fighting back and standing strong

**Well, I know a lot of you are sick and tired of Daniel hurting AJ, so in this chapter, our favorite Jersey girl will finally fight back. And that's just the beginning of her newfound strength and confidence. I hope to have AJ and Punk together within the next couple of chapters and I have a pretty good idea on how I'm gonna get them together. Furthermore, I think it's time for AJ to experience some happy times in her life. She's been consumed with pain long enough. It's time for the RAW general manager to be able skip down the hallway with happiness.**

**Oh, and if you're wondering if her becoming the GM will play a factor in my story, the answer's yes. Let's just say, Daniel's gonna get what's coming to him; this time in a more psychological manner.**

**Enjoy and happy reading!**

**Lots of love, hugs and kisses from your resident writer and friend, Nina!**

**X**

_Monday Night RAW_

_Quicken Loans Arena_

_Cleveland, Ohio_

_May 14__th__, 2012_

AJ felt herself being slammed against the wall by Daniel's body. He placed his forearm underneath her neck and parted her legs with his knee so that she wouldn't be able to kick him where it hurts. She looked into his light eyes and saw a man ready to kill. Over the last month, every time he hurts her, he gets hurts himself. And that pissed him off so much because he was supposed to make her life a living hell, then leave her laying like trash. Now that someone has stepped up to protect her, he's gonna have to do whatever it takes to make sure that Punk goes down, too.

"Leave me alone!" she managed to scream out. All she got in response is a hard slap across her face.

"Shut the fuck up, little bitch! You think I'm gonna let you get away from me?! You think Punk is gonna keep saving your naive little ass by kicking my ass?! I don't think so! Look at my face, AJ! This is just the gist of what your little savior had done to me!" he growled right in her face.

"Let me go, Daniel! Why won't you leave me alone?! You got what you wanted!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face.

"I don't care! I just don't care! I told you that I'm gonna wreck your life, but you're making it even harder for me! You're not gonna breathe a word of this to anyone because I still own you! Otherwise, I'll even go so far to cut you up into little bitty pieces and spread you all over the damn world. Ain't no one's gonna even miss you when I get through with you!" Daniel snarled, his face contorting in anger and humiliation.

"You don't own me, Daniel! I'm not your property. I'm my own person and I will be treated with respect! I'm not gonna let you hurt me anymore!" AJ snapped, using all of her strength to finally push him off of her. He landed on the carpet floor with a thud; pain shooting up his back and shoulders. He looked up at his girlfriend with shock and fury registering on his bearded face.

"Have you lost your mind, tramp?! Do you know what you did?!" he roared as he finally got up from the floor.

AJ's face was now contorting in anger. She was once again standing up for herself. "No, I haven't lost my mind. I know what I did and I feel damn good about it. If anyone lost their mind, it's you!"

"You bitch!" he screamed as he lunged at her. She screamed out in pain when he once again slammed her against the wall. He wrapped his hands around her neck and proceeded to choke her; squeezing her throat with all of his strength. She struggled to break free from him, but he squeezed her neck even harder; his face twisting in a sadistic and cruel manner.

"P-please let me go," she stammered, still struggling to break free from his ultra tight grip. Before long, however, Daniel's anger reached new heights and he ended up slamming her down on the floor.

"You're not going anywhere, whore! You're mine!" he screamed as he finally released the tight hold on her neck. AJ was gasping for breath and attempted to crawl away from her ex, but he was quicker; stomping his foot on her lower back and grabbing her legs to drag her away from the door, which he knew where she was heading.

"I told you before that we have some unfinished business, AJ. You owe me. It's time for you to pay what you owe," he snarled as he turned her over on her back. He quickly pounced on her; pinning her down with his body and slapping her hard across the face with his hand.

"Stop struggling or you're gonna make this much harder on yourself! I told you that you're gonna pay what you owe and that's exactly what you're gonna do!" he snapped, slapping her once again. But that just fueled her fight to get away from him even more so she continued to struggle against him. Then, in a move that even shocked him, she managed to knee him where it hurts in such a hard manner, he had no choice to roll off of her body. Daniel rolled over on his side and groaned in pain, clutching his balls in his hands. He couldn't believe she actually kneed him.

Taking the opportunity to make sure he doesn't retaliate, AJ managed to get up from the floor and proceeded to kick him all over his body; kicking his ribs and stomping on his body just like he had done to her a month ago. Daniel howled out in pain; trying so hard to stop her from kicking him, but she was relentless in her kicking. All of the anger, frustration and pain he put her through were now being unleashed. She just couldn't take it anymore.

"You're not gonna hurt me anymore, Daniel! You don't own me! I'm not your property! I'm not your whore! I'm not your personal punching bag! But, you're right about one thing: Punk can't always be there for me! And now you've just witnessed the brand new April Jeanette Mendez! I'm not gonna take your shit anymore!" the Jersey native screamed as she kept kicking him with all of her strength. Daniel kept trying to get her to stop kicking him, but it was no use. He was sore all over his body again and this time, he can't blame Punk for what was happening. He still couldn't fathom having a girl kicking his ass, much less his ex-girlfriend kicking his ass.

When she finally got done, she was breathing heavily and backing away from her ex-boyfriend. AJ got satisfaction in seeing the goat face withering on the floor; clutching his sides with his hands and moaning in pain. Without warning, she picked up a folding steel chair that was laying in a nearby corner and proceeded to raise it over her head. With tears forming in her eyes and seeing her ex starting to get up from the floor, she slammed the steel object right onto his head, knocking him out cold.

The only sounds you could hear is AJ breathing heavily and sobbing quietly as she dropped the chair down on the floor. She stood over her fallen ex-boyfriend for a moment, seeing him completely knocked out on the floor with pain still ebbing all over his immaculate little body.

"Now who's worthless?" she asked, tears still streaming down her beautiful olive toned skin. Taking a deep breath, she knew what she had to do.

She got the hell out of the women's locker room to get some help for herself.

Then she's gonna go to her best friend's sleep over party at the hotel and have some fun again.

It was time for her to reclaim her life.

X

_Holiday Inn_

_Cleveland, Ohio_

_May 14__th__-May 15__th__, 2012_

Dragging her bags behind her, AJ hummed quietly as she made her way towards Kaitlyn's hotel room. The rest of her night had went smoothly with no more problems to encounter. After finally fighting back against her ex-boyfriend and leaving him laying battered and bruised in the women's locker room, the Jersey native learned that Daniel could be out of action for a while as a result of what happened. At least she won't have to deal with him messing with her for the time being because she didn't know how much more she can take being tormented by her ex.

Realizing that she doesn't have to worry about Daniel messing with her for a while, AJ arrived at Kaitlyn's hotel room a moment later. She could hear the music inside and that made her smile. Spending time with her friends has become stagnant; mainly because of Daniel keeping her on a tight leash when they were actually together.

She raised her hand up and knocked on the door hard. She heard Kaitlyn tell a third party to turn the music down as she opened the door and looked into the eyes of her best friend.

"AJ! So glad you could make it!" Kaitlyn beamed as she embraced the Jersey native with enthusiasm.

"I see you got started without me, Kait. Is anyone else here?" AJ asked as she stepped inside the room, dragging her bags behind her.

"Yeah, Layla's here. I think she went into the bathroom to change into her pajamas. Why don't you get settled and we can get this sleep over started!" Kaitlyn squealed with delight. AJ just shook her head and laughed as she sat her bags down and started changing into her pajamas.

Within minutes, all three ladies were sitting on the bed, comfortable in their respective pajamas and snacking on a big bowl of popcorn. For AJ, being with her girlfriends and having fun has been something she's been missing for a long time. Between having to deal with her ex on a daily basis, gaining a new male companion in CM Punk and even trying to keep her career as a diva on the up and up, it was giving her a massive headache.

"So, AJ, are you seeing anyone new since the goat face dumped you on national tv?" Kaitlyn asked, changing the subject and getting serious.

AJ shook her head and sighed softly. "No, not really. I haven't really been seeing anyone new for over a month. Besides, Daniel won't leave me alone."

"What?! He hasn't left you alone?! AJ, what's going on?" Layla asked, looking at her best friend with a worried glance on her face.

AJ sighed deeply. "Well, he's been harassing me ever since Wrestlemania; blaming me for losing his title to Sheamus in just 18 seconds. He belittled me in front of the entire world, saying that he never loved me and I was nothing more than a pretentious little girl who can't get the job right. He dumped me, then he threw me out of the ring; vowing to make my life a living hell. And he had done a pretty good job of it, too."

"AJ, how come you didn't say anything about it? We could've helped you if you were in trouble," Kaitlyn said, her face contorting in sadness and sympathy.

"Because I couldn't say anything about it. Daniel kept me on a tight leash. He alienated me from everyone I knew; including some of my closest friends. He threatened to kill me if I ever said anything. He abused me; getting beat up every time something bad happens to him, he takes it out on me. And, even after he dumped me, he still won't leave me alone. In fact, he attacked me right after he dumped me; bashing my head against the concrete wall and stomping on me like I was trash. He said he's gonna keep hurting me until he practically runs me out of the company," AJ explained, breaking down.

"That son of bitch! I can't believe he did this to you!" Kaitlyn snapped, wrapping her arms around her best friend.

"That's not the worst of it, ladies. CM Punk found me laying in the pool of my own blood and took me to the hospital. When I got out and decided to go home to heal, Daniel wouldn't let up. He kept calling my house, sending me threatening texts and he even sent me threatening e-mails. I ended up having to change my cell and home phone number, blocked him from my e-mail and blocked him from texting me. But, even that didn't stop him because the next time I ran into him, he told me I should've stayed at home. I told him to leave me alone but that pissed him off because he slapped me. Then he tackled me down on the floor and proceeded to beat the holy hell out of me. However, Punk came to my rescue and ended up beating the crap out of him as they were locked into a janitor's closet. When he came out, I ran to him and hugged him; thanking him for coming to my aid," AJ said, breaking out into a tiny smile, for which Kaitlyn and Layla couldn't help but notice.

"That's good. Punk's a standup kind of guy. That's one of the reasons why I like him. So, what about when Daniel cost you the chance of winning the divas' title last week? I didn't even know anything about it," Layla said, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Believe me, I didn't even know what was happening until it was too late. Apparently, Daniel was hiding underneath the ring just as I climbed up the turnbuckle. He came out from under the ring and grabbed my ankle. I told him to let go of me, but he didn't and ended up yanking me off the turnbuckle, for which I landed in his arms. The son of a bitch ended up slamming me against the steel steps, then he threw me back into the ring. I was completely knocked out and didn't know what was going on until I got into the trainer's room. When I finally woke up, Punk was there; telling me that he beat the crap out of the Daniel again for what he had done to me," AJ explained, sniffing softly.

"I can't believe Daniel would do this to do; and in front of the millions of people watching. It just goes to show that goat face doesn't have any regard for anyone in his life. Not even for himself," Kaitlyn huffed angrily.

"Well, something good did come out of that night: Punk and I developed a friendship. He vowed to be there for me, no matter what," AJ said, smiling again.

"You like him, don't you?" Layla asked, getting right to the point.

"Well, yeah, I like him. But like I said before, I'm not seeing anyone at this time. I don't know if I'll ever be able to have a relationship again since Daniel still won't leave me alone. He's ruining my life and just last week, he ambushed me as I was heading towards the locker room and he said that he'll forgive me for being stupid if I do him a favor," AJ said, snorting in annoyance.

"What favor?" Kaitlyn and Layla asked together.

"He demanded that I take him back. Can you believe that shit? After everything he had done to me, he expects me to take him back and act as though things are fine and dandy between us? I don't think so! I told him I'm not taking him back, but he wouldn't have it. He told me if I don't take him back, he has footage of me being drugged. He allowed his friends to have sex with me while I was knocked out. He said that he'll have no problem putting that footage on the internet and portray me as a whore. I told him it doesn't matter because he'd already ruined my life. As I turned to walk away, he kicked me in the back of my head," AJ said, shaking her head in anger.

"AJ, why didn't you report him to Vince? You know the boss cares about you," Kaitlyn said, still shocked at what the Jersey native was telling them.

"As I mentioned before, Daniel threatened to kill me if I breathed one word about this to anyone. Plus, he can always destroy the footage and make me out to look like a liar; not to mention, he has friends in high places who can back him up. I can't get away from him ever if I tried," AJ broke down again and sobbed quietly.

"Oh, man, that's messed up. He'll just keep messing with you even if you somehow get him in trouble. So, what happens now?" Layla asked as the three ladies laid down on the bed with their arms around each other. AJ was in the middle and felt safe with her best friends beside her.

"I know I can't report him to Vince because he can lie his way out of anything. And, besides, earlier tonight, when you left for your match, Kaitlyn, Daniel showed up inside the locker room and intended to attack me again. However, this time, I was able to fight back. I kicked the hell out of him, then I bashed his head with a steel chair. I showed him that I wasn't gonna take his crap anymore," AJ said, feeling proud for finally standing up for herself.

"Wow. I bet that shocked the hell out of goat face for what he put you through," Kaitlyn said, smiling brightly.

"And that's just the beginning. Daniel won't know what will hit him if he keeps messing with me. I know Punk can't protect me every single day, so it's time for me to fight back and stand up for myself," AJ declared.

"Good. That means we got our best friend back!" Layla squealed with delight before she grabbed a pillow she was laying on and began playfully hitting the ladies with it. Kaitlyn and AJ joined in on the fun and before long, the three of them engaged in a playful pillow fight.

For AJ, being able to be happy and laughing again has been something she's been missing for a long time. The new AJ Lee will be more confident, stronger and more resilient than ever before.

And Daniel Bryan will not take that away from her.

X

_Monday Night RAW_

_Air Canada Center_

_Toronto, Ontario, Canada_

_May 21__st__, 2012_

AJ was once again seen walking down the hallway, heading towards catering, looking over her shoulder to make sure Daniel doesn't plan another sneak. She hasn't seen or heard from him since last week, but she didn't know whether to take this as a good thing or not. The New Jersey native surely wasn't taking any chances this time. So much so, that she began becoming more cautious about being alone in the locker and even coming into the arena by herself.

However, things weren't all bad considering the hell her ex had put her through. For one, she gained a new friend in CM Punk. AJ was so consumed in getting her life and career back on track that she hasn't seen or talked him all last week. Well, that's about to change.

When she finally arrived in catering, she spotted the Chicago native sitting a table by himself, reading a Archie comic book and laughing silently at Jughead's antics. Wanting to surprise him, she started sneaking up behind him and covered his beautiful hazel eyes with her soft, delicate hands.

"Guess who?" she teased, laughing softly.

"Hmm, well, I recognize the hands, but I can't picture the face behind these beautiful hands," he teased back as he gently removed her hands away from his face and shot his head up to see who was standing behind him. A huge smile appeared on his face when he saw the woman standing behind him.

"AJ! I'm so glad to see you!" he beamed as he jumped up from his chair and pulled her right into his strong arms. She let out a happy sigh because she was with her male friend again.

However, as fate would have it, something more was brewing between them and they didn't even know it.

Or do they?

**Coming up in the next chapter: Daniel returns to work; angrier than ever. Will AJ's newfound confidence hold up when she runs into him again? And will AJ and Punk realize their feelings for each other before it's too late? Stay tuned!**

**Please review!**


	6. Catching feelings?

**I'm back with a brand new chapter. It's been a little while, but life happens and all you can do is go along and be prepared for it. But, I'm back and I'm mentally gearing up for our favorite couple to get together within the next several chapters. Also, I wanna thank you guys for rooting for AJ finally standing up for herself and fighting back. Believe me, this won't be the last time she's gonna do that.**

**One more thing, please feel free to go to the poll and vote on what should happen to Daniel. I'm telling you, your input could come a long way as the story continues to progresses.**

**Enjoy and happy reading!**

**Lots of love, hugs and kisses from your resident writer and friend, Nina!**

**X**

_Friday Night SmackDown!_

_Staples Center_

_Los Angeles, California_

_May 15th, 2012_

Punk and AJ laughed loudly and enjoying their time together as they made their way through the hallway at the Staples Center in LA. It was Smackdown tonight and both fo them were scheduled to make an appearance. Even though they were on the red brand, it was important for them to be able to spend time with the other brand because they both happen to have friends there.

For AJ, being able to spend time with Punk again proved to be a blessing in disguise. She hasn't seen or heard from Daniel since she finally kicked the shit out of him for hurting her, but she didn't know whether to take it as a good thing or not. The Jersey native knew her ex was still pissed and he's doing everything he could to dust that off of his shoulders. She knew she's gonna have to see him again at some point, but, for now, she was just happy being with her best male friend again and laughing.

"So, April, feel like going out with me after the show tonight?" Punk asked as they arrived at her locker room.

AJ just smiled. "Maybe. I haven't been out in a while. When I was with Daniel, he kept me isolated from everyone around us. He wanted me all to himself."

"Well, we haven't seen goat face since you told me you kicked his ass, so I'm sure he's licking his wounds somewhere," Punk laughed.

"Yeah, but Daniel doesn't take things lying down. It won't be long before he shows up again to make my life a living hell," AJ sighed deeply.

He placed his hand on her shoulder for comfort. "And I'll be there making sure he doesn't bother you. That jackass don't know when to leave well enough alone."

"You got that right, Phil. Well, I better go inside. Kaitlyn's waiting on me," AJ said, smiling again. She leaned over and kissed his whiskered cheek softly, then she pushed the door open and walked inside, leaving Punk standing in the hallway, blushing something terrible.

He knew he was falling for her, but she was still too vulnerable to be in a relationship right now. Daniel was still messing with her and even though AJ finally had enough and stood up for herself, the Chicago natvie knew that Daniel won't rest until AJ is out for good.

Sighing deeply, he turned on his heel and headed towards his locker room, silently vowing to protect AJ no matter what.

Meanwhile, AJ was setting her things down by her locker room and sat down on the bench. Sighing deeply once again, she ran her fingers through her long brown hair and realized that this is just the beginning of her new confident life. No more will she has to be scared of anyone; especially her ex.

As she continues to unpack her things and get ready for the show, AJ heard the door being knocked loudly. Realizing that it won't do her any good if she kept quiet and not answer because she didn't wanna deal with anyone for the time being, she got up from the bench and headed towards the door, then she grabbed on the handle and opened the door without seeing who was standing outside in the hallway.

However, when she looked up to see who it was, she wished that she didn't open the door.

Because Daniel was standing outside. And, not to her surprise, he had an angry look on his face.

"What do you want now, Daniel? I have to get ready for the show!" AJ snapped.

He reached over and grabbed her arm roughly, then he yanked her out into the hallway and pushed her against the wall.

"What the fuck were you thinking kicking me in my ribs and clocking me upside the head with a steel chair, huh?!" he screamed right into her face.

To his shock, she just smirked. "I was standing up for myself and not taking your crap anymore, Daniel. I was defending myself. I knew you were gonna attack me again, so I fought back."

"Defending yourself?! Defending yourself?! Bitch, you damn neared killed me! How dare you do that to me?! You're nothing more than a weak, pathetic little girl who got fucking lucky!" he screamed louder as he squeezed her arm even tighter. AJ, not wanting to have him hurting her again, managed to snatch her arm away from him, pissing him off even further.

"Look, Daniel, leave me alone and get on with your life. All this tormenting me, getting my ass kicked from you, getting your ass kicked by my best friend is getting old. I'm finally doing something good for myself and I'm not gonna let you ruin my life anymore. So, for your sake and mine, leave me alone, get some help and just piss off, okay? I have things to do," she told him as she started moving away from him. However, just as she was about to go back into the locker room, Daniel grabbed her arm again and pushed her back against the wall. AJ felt the pain shooting up her spine as he wrapped his hand around her throat.

"You listen to me and you listen to me good, AJ! Do you really think you can slam a steel chair down on my head and not expect to pay for it?! Well, I got news for you, bitch! You will pay for what you had done to me! When you at least expect it, you will pay! Oh, and by the way, the footage of you whoring around with my friends, let's just say by midnight tonight, you're gonna be famous all right!" he snarled, his face twisting in anger. He was beyond furious and he wasn't gonna let her get away with what she had done to him any longer.

"You know something, Daniel? Go ahead and put the footage on the internet. Go ahead and do it. Because, I've got news for you: you're gonna end up shooting yourself in the foot. You're gonna reveal to everyone that you're nothing more than an ego-driven, abusive, stalking jackass who don't know when to leave well enough alone. You got what you wanted when you dumped me on national television, attacked me repeatedly and even made my life a living hell over the phone and in person. So, go ahead; put the footage of me practically being raped by your friends on the internet. They'll see that I'm a victim and your a sicko!" AJ snapped before she pushed him away from her and stormed right into the locker room, slamming the door behind her.

Daniel was furious. Too furious. He couldn't believe she stood to him like that and she even had the audacity to walk away from him. He kicked the wall with his foot and realized that he was now fighting a losing battle. AJ was standing up to him and was even beginning to enjoy her life again and that made him pissed off even more. He knew he had to do something about this. He had to bring her down once and for all. He had to see to it that she takes him back as her boyfriend so that he can be able to control her again.

Or else he'll have to do something even more drastic.

He may even have to kill her in order to get what he wants.

Yeah, his anger has gotten the better of him again.

X

_Friday Night SmackDown!_

_Staples Center_

_Los Angeles, California_

_May 15th, 2012_

After the show, Punk decided to head to the women's locker room to get AJ. He promised to take her out for a good time after the chaotic night they both had. He found out from other superstars that Daniel was harassing AJ again and even threatened to put the footage of her being taken advantage of in her drugged state on the internet.

Furthermore, Punk was offended when he walked into the locker room to find Daniel airing the footage of several of his friends having sex with AJ on television; even bragging about how much of a whore she is and that this proves how much money he can make by displaying this footage for the whole world to see.

Punk was so pissed that he hid in the bathroom until everyone in the room left, and then he realized that the coast was clear, he grabbed the footage out of the DVD player and put it right into his pocket. He vowed to make sure no one else sees the footage.

Sighing angrily and letting out a frustrated sigh, he made to the women's locker room. He knocked on the door and heard someone shifting around inside. A moment later, the door opened and AJ appeared; looking stunning in a short sequined black dress. Her long brown hair flowed freely and she just looked absolutely beautiful. Punk couldn't help but stare at her. He couldn't help but notice how beautiful and vibrate she is.

And Punk realizes that he was falling for the Jersey native.

For AJ, being able to have a good time for a change was nice reflection of what she's been through over the last few months. She noticed Punk was staring at her and he was practically drooling at her. A tiny smile appeared on her face because she never thought she would become the object of one man's desire;a desire that was honest, fulfilling, beautiful and not demanding, sinister and even deadly.

"You're drooling, Punk," she said, snapping him out of his trance.

He shook his head and blinked twice before regaining his composure. "I'm sorry, AJ, but you're beautiful."

"Well, you promised to take me out for a good time tonight. I figure I get all dressed up for you," she teased, batting her eyelashes.

"You're silly, April. Are you ready to go?" he asked, shifting around on his feet nervously. He was still staring at her beauty, but, this time, he was able to contain himself. He didn't know what came over him, but he found himself falling for even more. And that was bad because she was still dealing with a lot of things in her life. Daniel won't leave alone and even though the Chicago native got his hands on the original copy of the footage of AJ being manhandled by several of her ex's friends, he has no idea of what he could do with it. He could always destroy it, but then Daniel would go after AJ and accuse her of taking it and then disposing it without any regard.

Punk didn't know what to do. All he can do is take care of AJ and make sure that she wasn't gonna get hurt again.

"I'm ready. Just let me get my things and we can get out of here," AJ said as she headed back into the locker room to get her things. A moment later, she came back out with her bags, but Punk grabbed them. He wanted to be gentlemen.

"I don't want you lifting a finger. Let's put them into the car and we can get this night started," he assured her. AJ just smiled and proceeded to follow him out of the arena.

Meanwhile, a certain someone was watching the twosome in the shadows and his anger reached new heights. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. AJ belonged to him and no one else. For her to be dressed up so beautifully and walking out of the arena with Punk made him sick to his stomach. He wanted her back in his control and so far, she was defying him. That had to change.

Daniel knew what he had to do. He had a pretty good idea of who stole the DVD, but he bides his time. He'll make his move soon enough and when he does, AJ will never know what will hit her.

And that's for damn sure.

**Coming up in the next chapter: AJ and Punk go out for a night on the town, but Daniel shows up, nearly ruining their night. Will the Chicago native and the Jersey native finally reveal their feelings for each other? **

**Please review!**


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